Contemplating today's Gospel
Today's Gospel + homily (in 300 words)
In conclusion, just as through one transgression condemnation came upon all, so, through one righteous act acquittal and life came to all. For just as through the disobedience of one man the many were made sinners, so, through the obedience of the one the many will be made righteous. Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through justification for eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
«In the written scroll it is prescribed for me, to do your will, o my God, is my delight, and your law is within my heart!».
I announced your justice in the vast assembly; I did not restrain my lips, as you, o Lord, know.
May all who seek you exult and be glad in you, and may those who love your salvation say ever, «The Lord be glorified».
“Light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding”
Fr. Miquel VENQUE i To (Solsona, Lleida, Spain)Today we should pay close attention to these words of Jesus: “be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks” (Lk 12:36). What a joyful thought—to realize that, though I am small and a sinner, I myself will be the one to open the door to the Lord when He comes! Yes, at the moment of death, it will be I who opens or closes that door—no one else can do it for me. “Let us be convinced that God will ask us to give an account not only of our actions and words, but also of how we have used our time” (St. Gregory of Nazianzus).
Standing by the door, with eyes wide open—that is the key attitude, and it’s within our reach. I cannot afford to be distracted. Distraction means forgetting the goal: wanting heaven, but without the will to act; blowing soap bubbles instead of forming a firm and measurable desire. To “gird your loins” means having your apron on—being in the kitchen, ready for whatever comes, prepared down to the smallest detail. My father, who was a farmer, used to say that you can’t sow when the land is “angry.” For a good harvest, you have to walk the field and nurture the seeds.
A Christian is not a castaway without a compass. He knows where he comes from, where he is going, and how to get there. He knows the goal, the means, and the challenges along the way. Keeping that in mind will help us stay alert and ready to open the door when the Lord calls.
Jesus’ repeated exhortation to vigilance and responsibility appears so often in the Gospel for two simple reasons: because He loves us and watches over us—love never sleeps—and because the enemy, the devil, never stops tempting us. Thinking about heaven and hell will never distract us from our duties in this life; rather, it keeps us grounded and spiritually awake. And such faithfulness earns the Lord’s blessing: “And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants” (Lk 12:38).
Jesus, help me to live each day alert and watchful, loving You always.
Thoughts on Today's Gospel
“Blessed then is the person at whose door Christ stands and knocks. Our door is faith; if it is strong enough, the whole house is safe.” (Saint Ambrose of Milan)
“Jesus wants our existence to be laborious, that we never lower our guard, so as to welcome with gratitude and wonder each new day given to us by God.” (Francis)
“(...) Vigilance is ‘custody of the heart’, and Jesus prayed for us to the Father: ‘Keep them in your name’. The Holy Spirit constantly seeks to awaken us to keep watch (...)” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, Nº 2849)
